Are you pregnant again after having preeclampsia once already in a previous pregnancy? Post your thoughts/concerns here - there are others who share your feelings. This is also the home of our Bedrest Buddies Support group.

Hugs!
I had Pre- E with my first child, and we delivered at @ 31 weeks 7 days. With our second, we did LDA ( for my peace of mind, really) and extra folic acid( b/c of my blood clotting issue). My OB suggested Lovenox, but after talking to the Peri, we opted out. Our second was delivered @ 37w, 6d- after 6 weeks of bedrest (3 1/2 weeks at home and 2 1/2 weeks in the hospital). I did get HELLP a second time. However, we were dealing with a KNOWN issue, rather than an unknown issue. That made a huge difference in how things were handled.

Mom to two, both pre-e survivors. Wife to one amazing husband who loves us through it all.

@astchick- You poor honey! I'm so sorry to hear that you're geting 'quirky' so early. Being a fellow PCOS'er and now chronic hypertension mom, I totally can feel your pain because I have totally been there. (and am nuts enough to have done it again, and again!)

The good news, though, is that you have some stuff working in your favor...I'm not one of the science chicks, but I do remember that every time you're pregnant, and your placenta burrows into your uterus, it makes it easier for subsequent placentas to do their thing, and may work better in second pregnancies and beyond. The other +/- thing is that protenuria and hypertension this early likely aren't triggered by emerging preeclampsia, they're the groans and clicks of your body under stress... like Caryn says, pregnancy acts as a fast-forward button to see how your body would react to age or additional weight. Over the course of three pregnancies, that certainly was the case in my experience.

I panicked during pregnancy #3 for emerging protenuria- and it rose and rose incrementally until it hit 200, and then stayed static for the rest of the pregnancy. I'd echo the MFM suggestion, and raise her bet by emailing the NASSHP http://www.nasshp.org site to see if they have anyone local to you- they're the society of mfms that specialize in hypertensive pregnancies. If it were me, I'd lean towards asking for testing to see if maybe something else is peeking out- like kidney problems or diabetes or even a blood clotting disorder. Once they have a better sense of what's being uncovered, they might have a better sense of how to react! Please let us know what you find out, and take care!

I have to totally echo what Caryn said! It always just depends on the person, how fast or not fast PE progresses as well as if "bedrest'' really helped or did not help. In my case since I am a stylist and work on my feet and run around all day I believed it helped! Unfortunately there is no real evidence.

Laura Angel (Factor V Leiden)
Mommy to Cara Angel 2LBS 11OZ 16 IN. Born at 30 weeks due to Severe PE & HELLP.
"My life went with you sweetheart the day angels called you home"

Actually, salt restriction, protein supplementation, bedrest, and most of the other therapies mentioned here are known to have no effect whatsoever, and the Preeclampsia Foundation does not endorse them. There is much more information in my .sig, but the quick-and-dirty rundown is that PCOS and thyroid disorders and a history of preeclampsia are all underlying disorders known to raise your risk to develop PE in subsequent pregnancies. As your doc says, being pregnant just unmasks your tendency towards this - likely because hosting a foreign placenta annoys your immune system.

LDA is low-dose aspirin. Some docs recommend it, and some do not. Ask your doc.

In your shoes, I would want to have a consult with a high-risk doc, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist. Here's a link to help you find one in your area (search by state.) If I'm reading you correctly, you already have an appointment scheduled - please do let us know how it goes!

Edited to add:
Nothing at all is guaranteed to lower risk. I know, right?

Honestly, the problem with this is that it just happens with humans. We have to fit the baby's head through the pelvis, which is an incredible trick and used to be, before... we had access to modern medicine, the most dangerous thing any of us ever did. Lifetime maternal mortality rate in Afghanistan -- which is very similar to our historical environment before 1900 when it comes to availability of medical care -- is one in seven.

One in seven women dies of complications of pregnancy.

One in SEVEN.

The whole disease is predicated on a negotiation between our immune systems and the placenta to grow a baby the right size to thrive *and* fit out. It's a targeting problem. Slip a bit off the bullseye, and you're asking for preeclampsia. Or IUGR. Or PPH, if the flow through the spiral arteries is really good and the uterus can't clamp off in time postpartum. Or cephalopelvic disproportion, where the baby gets stuck on the way out.

In good news, this happens in one of twenty pregnancies, so you have good odds of not getting it. In bad news, this happens in one of twenty pregnancies, and some of us are predisposed.

Caryn, @carynjrogers, who is not a doctor and who talks about science stuff *way* too much
DS Oscar born by emergent C-section at 34 weeks for fetal indicators, due to severe PE
DD Bridget born by C-section after water broke at 39 weeks after a healthy pregnancy

Thanks for the responses. I see an OB (same as for my DS) and perinatologist (new to this pregnancy). I advanced my appointment with him to the 30th. That was the earliest they said they could get me in. I go back to the OB on the 27th for BP check. Im taking prenatals and levothyroxine (for hypothyroidism). Im trying to eat a healthy diet - to get my 5 a day of fruits and veggies and have limited if not eliminated my salt. Has anyone heard of drinking hibiscus tea? How much calcium are you taking? I also read something about antibiotic therapy but it was very vague. Im going to ask the perinatologist and OB when I meet with them but I want my ducks in order and my arguments ready for presentment. Does Lovenox have any affect on the baby? miamibunnie whats "Ida"?

Im on my left side as much as I can be ... unfortunately for me my husband sleeps on the left so he snores in my face all night ... oh well.... the sacrifices we make.

Is there anything that will help kidney function? All natural? Im right at the cusp but hoping that if I can lower BP and improve kidney function maybe it wont be that bad?

And for my report - on satruday one of my BP readings was 122/70... praying for more where that came from!!!

Are you seeing a high risk dr? Are you on any meds? I am on lovenox, lda, calcium, folic acid, prenatal vitamine, and vitamine D. Im also nervous because I am 22 weeks and this is around the time that I was admitted in the hospital for severe PE for my second pregnancy . I pray to god everyday so that I can at least make it to 28-30 weeks. My BP has been pretty good but my pulse has been nuts.

I try to eat well lots of beets, drink healthy drinks like grape welch with egg yoke to make sure I dont get anemic. My first child was born at 25 weeks and she is 14, my second baby did not make it was too early. Just take it easy I know its not easy, but at this point you need to get lots of rest. Make sure you lay on your left side. Please keep us posted.

I took low dose aspirin, fish oil, calcium, magnesium and something has lowered my bp. I am almost 35 weeks, and my bp keeps getting lower! 110/72 this week!!!!!! It's not that low when I'm not pregnant!!!

Ask about a referral to high risk. Ask about Lovenox injections.
It is okal to be on bp medication while pregnant. They just have to monitor you very closely. If he put you on bedrest as well that may benefit you to allow a natural way to help decrease your blood pressure.

HAng in there. Close monitoring from your doctor can do wonders.
Eat healthy and cut down on salt. Eat foods high in protein.

Mom to 6 year old. Born at 33 1/2 weeks after preeclampsia and abruptio placenta.
Angel boy -Michael- born 2/1/2010 at 31 weeks. Had pre eclampsia and hospital bedrest at 27 weeks. Died due to NEC. Forever loved and missed
Rainbow baby due Feb 2012. Hoping for a looooonnnnnnngggg uneventful pregnancy.

Everyone's disease progression is different, some go very rapidly and some make it through months without the disease ever becoming severe. Let's hope you're the latter! I hope you have a long pregnancy.

Mama to Millie
born June 2010 @ 24 wks. gestation due to my severe PE and CHF
lived 25 days, loved and missed